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School administrators and nonunion staff members in the Upper Arlington district won’t receive
salary raises next year, the district school board decided on Monday.

It’s the second year in a row that administrators have gone without raises. They don’t receive
step increases — annual raises based on seniority.

The nonunion staff, a group that includes teaching aides and technology-staff workers, received
raises this year but won’t in 2013. Most don’t receive step raises, but some still will be eligible
for raises on a three-step scale.

“Most employees expected this,” Treasurer Andrew Geistfeld said yesterday. That’s in part
because the district plans to cut more than $2 million after a levy defeat on the fall ballot.

A group of residents who opposed the levy homed in on administrators, saying they’re overpaid.
The board president says that’s untrue.

“There’s been a lot of discussion about us having too many administrators and that their pay
scale is too high,” Robin Comfort said. “Actually, we have a lean administrative team.”

Last year, teachers agreed to forgo base-salary raises this year and in 2013, although they
still receive some step raises and are scheduled for 1 percent raises in 2014.

Also at the meeting, the school board agreed not to send anyone to an annual school-board
conference that two members had planned to attend in San Diego this year. The reason, they said, is
to cut costs.

Comfort said she has heard from residents who want to know what budget cuts the district will
make, but she said the board won’t decide until January.

“We understand that people want to know,” she said. “We want to do it right.”